2007/07/31 – Tuesday – Dinner

Lunch was with my buddy and we had lunch at crazy chicken.

A friend is over for the next three nights so he doesn’t have to commute.

We went to Dales for dinner tonight.

2007/07/30 – Monday – Appointment

Lunch was with my buddy, but it was a very quick lunch – ½ hour – salad at Zpizza

I picked up Amanda for her appointment at the Orthodontist – I think we only a few more appointments left – hurray.

Cheryl and Amanda went to urgent care to check her hurting thumb, but all looks ok – good!

2007/07/29 – Sunday – Fair

Well, the Croakers were invited to participate at the Orange County Fair.

We got to the fair with plenty of time to get ready. Amanda, Eric and Jesse danced a few tips during the hour that the group was to dance on the stage.

After eating some food for lunch, some friends and the family went walking around and the kids did some rides.

We got home about 5:00 and relaxed. I took a nap. Come time find out that all of us got sun burnt so that is why we all were extremely tired.

2007/07/28 – Saturday – Class

We got up early so we could be at the Calling Class on time.

Calling Class, Lunch, Calling Class, Dinner, and then Calling Class

Back to house again – late.

Amanda is doing ok with the class so far. Cheryl is doing better then she thought she would be able to do. Jesse is having to struggle a little with it.

2007/07/27 – Friday - Travel – Class

I slept in today – I set the alarm for 10:00 so it was nice to sleep in for once in about 5 weeks.

Got up and checked out of the hotel. The taxi ride was with three other co-workers.

We got on the plane and left DC at about 2:00 and landed in Long Beach a little early around 3:45. But this time, my ears were hurting!

I got home and took a nap, something about flying and being tired.

When Cheryl finally got home, off we go to Caller Class.

We got home around 11:00 and off to bed.

2007/07/26 – Thursday – More Meetings

Again got up and headed on over to the convention center at 8:00.

Meetings all day.

I was invited to a IT meeting at a co-workers place and they had a bus all lined up. So off I went and I had a good time getting know more people from the DC office.

I got back to the hotel about 10:30

2007/07/25 – Wednesday - March

Got up and headed on over the convention center at 8:00 again.

At one point in our day of meetings was a march onto one of the grounds around the capital builder with all the employees in their red shirts.

Nothing special tonight but back to the room to watch TV

2007/07/24 – Tuesday - Game

Got up and headed on over the convention center at 8:00.

I did the meeting thing all day.

I went to the WNBA game of the Storms and Mystics. The game was close most of the time. At half time it was tied. At the end of the 4th quarter it was tied, at the end of the overtime, the Mystics won by one point – Good Game!

2007/07/23 – Monday – Work Travel day

Cheryl and I got up at 7:00 and we left the house at 7:30. On the way to the airport, we stopped at the ATM so I could have some cash on hand.

The check in and security was smooth and easy.

The plane ride to DC was fairly smooth. I did buy some Earplane (ear plugs) and they WORKED; I did not have the ear pressure issue that I have in the past.

Once I arrived at DC, fellow coworkers and I went to the baggage area to retrieve our bags. I got a ride in a taxi with two other coworkers to the hotel.

Once checked in, a group of use went out for dinner. We just started to walk to find a place. Food was good, but the service was a little slow.

Back to the hotel to relax and watching TV.

2007/07/22 – Sunday – Work and Relax

I slept in this morning. Eric, Amanda, and Cheryl went to church.

I was planning to go into work early, but it turned out that I finally went in about 11:30.

I was in the office for 4 hours and I got the item done that needed to be done.

Cheryl and the kids went and watched the Harry Potter movie.

When I got home, I worked on some bills and started to get ready for my trip to DC.

At one point in the afternoon, I was out talking to neighbors and it started to do one of those big drops sprinkle thing – it was nice.

2007/07/21 – Saturday – Home Again

The morning started gruffly – the dog peeing in the RV, Eric not doing what I want him to do, and the fast food messing up the order. We finally got on the road at 10:00.

We did see a crop duster and Eric watched it do it thing.

I called Flying J’s (the one at the top of the Grape Vine) to make sure they had propane and the lady said yes.

Getting closer to the Grape Vine, we could see smoke on the hills. Sure enough it’s a grass/forest fire.

Before starting the Grape Vine, I stopped at a truck was and got the RV and Van washed – I still need to do the underside of the RV better. We also had lunch while we waited.

I stop at Flying J’s and noticed a note about not able to do propane – now I am MAD! The clerks got the manager and after talking with her I was able to get some propane (after a year of trying to get propane there) and got some gas.

The traffic going through Los Angeles was bad,

On your main boulevard there was an accident with a turned over vehicle.

Now we are home!

Cheryl ordered Pizza for dinner.

Camp Location:
Home – Lakewood, California

Big Animal Report:
None

Attractions:
None

2007/07/20 – Friday – Redwoods and Long Day

We left camp at 9:00

We stopped at Shrine Drive-Thru Tree – no we could not drive the RV through the tree, the RV is slightly too big for it.

Next stop was Confusion Hill. We paid for the train ride but we had to wait for the guide to finish his lunch, so we order ours and have it ready by the time we returned from our ride. We were given some interesting facts about the redwoods, logging, and the area. We returned and got our lunch (a late lunch)

Next stop was the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree – no we could not drive the RV through this tree.

We stopped in Willits for gas

As we were getting close to San Francisco, I stopped at a RV park and they were full and she stated that everybody was full. So we had to drive on past San Francisco to find another park.

I say a sign along the Freeway about an RV park so I took the exit and finding the park was easy. The Kit Fox RV Park near the town of Patterson is a good size park.

We walked to Denny’s for dinner, both direction we noticed the frogs large and small near the office of the park.

Camp Location:
N 37.46860°, W 121.17683° - Kit Fox RV Park – Patterson, California

Big Animal Report:

Head of Elk in Redwood Creek beside the road
1-Deer chasing a bird

Attractions:
Shrine Drive Thru Tree
Confusion Hill
Chandelier Drive Thru Tree

2007/07/19 – Thursday – To the Coast and Trees

We left at 9:00

Our first stop of the day was a quick drive back towards I5, we stop at a covered bridge called Lowell Covered Bridge. The bridge had a very good display of history and lots panels of information.

We finally head south on I5 after a quick detour.

We stop for gas and lunch in Grants Pass.

The drive towards the coast on 199 is an interesting highway. It has section of very tight/skinny roadway.

We stopped at Ocean World and did their tour of what they have as an aquarium; of course we did buy some trinkets.

We stopped at Trees of Mystery and were able to take the dogs on the walk/hike, which also included a gondola ride up to the top of the ridge for a great view.

We stopped for the night at Mystic Forest RV Park, just a couple of miles south.

I went for a short walk and found some very good blackberries.

Camp Location:
N 41.57617°, W 124.07450° – Mystic Forest RV Park, Klamath, California

Big Animal Report:
None

Attractions:
Lowell Covered Bridge
Ocean World
Trees of Mystery

2007/07/18 – Wednesday - Heading Home and Fixing

We left and said our good byes at 9:00.

We stopped for gas before we got onto the freeway.

We stopped for lunch at the last Rest Area heading south in Washington.

I called the tire place make sure they are able to help me resolve the problem with the Smarttire not receiving from the driver side trailer tires.

We made it to Bob Dickman Tire & Accessory Center by 2:30. They balanced both of the spare RV tires. They also worked on getting the two trailer tires to be recognized by the system. I even got an additional tool to help in getting the sensors to send a signal so if I need to change a tire it will be easier to get the new tire added to the system. I also got a new trailer tire because I had two flat spots on it.

Cheryl and the kids went for a walk while I stayed and watched and help in getting the Smarttire system working.

I had Amanda look for a RV park where we will stay, She made a few phone calls and we got a site reserved. But we found out it was like 30 miles away from the freeway, but o well.

Cheryl and Amanda cooked dinner.

It has been raining off and on this evening.

Camp Location:
N 43.75930°, W 122.52637° – Casey’s Riverside RV Park – Westfir, Oregon

Big Animal Report:
None

Attractions:
Tire Store

2007/07/17 – Tuesday – Water & Food

We slept in a little bit again.

Mom and I started the laundry.

We went Snoqualmie Falls, I thought I was going to have lunch there, but the price was HIGH, so did our gift shop shopping and then we went to Carnation for some lunch at one of the local café.

We then went over to GG to see her new house.

We returned and finished the laundry

Cheryl and Amanda went to a nail salon.

Several May Families came over and we had a fun BBQ feast.

Camp Location:
Same as Yesterday - N 47.758411°, W 122.036364° – Brothers Place, Woodinville Washington

Big Animal Report:
None

Attractions:
Snoqualmie Falls
A Family BBQ

2007/07/16 – Monday – Under and High

We slept in a little bit.

We did a little bit of shopping and then headed on over to the Seattle Underground Tour.

We got the 2:00 tour. The tour lasted about 90 minutes.

We then went to the top of the Seattle Space Needle observation deck. Of course we did do our trinket shopping in the gift center at the base.

We returned and G made dinner and we had a good time talking.

Camp Location:
Same as Yesterday - N 47.758411°, W 122.036364° – Brothers Place, Woodinville Washington

Big Animal Report:
None

Attractions:
Seattle Underground Tour
Space Needle

2007/07/15 – Sunday – Crossing and Family

We left camp at 8:45

We stopped for gas in a little place called Lytton.

We stopped at Hell’s Gate (near Boston Bar, British Columbia, Canada). They even allowed us to take the dogs on the airtram. When we got to the bottom of the canyon, we walked onto the suspension bridge at the bottom of the canyon. We could look trough the grates to the water below. The dogs were not very comfortable about walking on the grates; there is a 6x6 near the middle of the bridge and the dogs preferred to walk on that. We watched a movie about fish life.

We stopped and the next turn out and had lunch. I walked to what I thought was a bridge, but it was a structure like a Hollywood bowl shape under the road.

The traffic was getting heavier and heavier and a few times we were crawling.

We got to the boarder at 4:30 and waited for about ½ hour before we got our chance to be asked questions and be let into USA.

The guy asked some questions and we had a good conversation with him about our trip with the animals.

We called several people once we were back in the USA.

We got to Luke’s place about 6:30 and after some hugs and talking, we got the RV leveled off and unloaded the van.

I finally got the Satellite set up after moving it to get a good view through the trees.

We went for dinner and invited L&G. We went to Red Robin.

Camp Location:
N 47.758411°, W 122.036364° – Brothers Place, Woodinville Washington

Big Animal Report:
1 Dear

Attractions:
Hells Gate Canyon
Crossing the Border

2007/07/14 – Saturday – Hot and Hilly

We left camp about 9:00 even after I had been talking to a fellow camper about the roads going to Alaska.

We got gas in Prince George

We stopped in Quesnel at the Visitor Center and Museum of the local area. We spent about 1 hour in there – Amanda was doing about three different fact finding sheets.

When we returned to the RV, Turquoise had chewed up the ice chest that we keep between the front seats to store cold water in.

On the way out of town we found a pet store (Total Pet) and stopped. The head lady let us bring the dogs in to help find a muzzle that would fit properly, but we had to do some modifications to make sure he could not get it off.

In the same area, we got lunch at A&W, in the process of getting ready to leave, Turquoise spilled Eric drink and so I went in and got another drink for him.

At 5:00 I came across a RV campground. I had to go around the block to get the correct driveway.

Today’s driving consisted of a lot of hills; so far the last two days has had the most hills in terms of how steep the climbs have been.

We had everything setup including the Satellite in 45 minutes.

We took a walk to one of the local restaurants – Fish and Chips

When we returned, the muzzle worked, Turquoise did not get the muzzle off!

The kids watch a TV show.

I worked on repairing the rear axle trailer breaks. The wires were crushed and one had completed been separated.

We turned off the TV and the kids then worked on some schoolwork. Amanda and Mom M had worked on math off and on all day. Cheryl and Amanda worked on several subjects.

Camp Location:
N 51.64386, W 121.29865 – 100 Mile Hotel and RV Park, 100 Mile House, British Columbia, Canada

Big Animal Report:
1 - Deer

Attractions:
Visitor Center and Museum – Quesnel
Pet Store

2007/07/13 – Friday – Driving and Fishing

We left camp at 8:45. We had to stop at the boarding crossing into Canada and the lady asked a few questions and we were allowed to head on into Canada.

We stopped in Stewart for gas.

The climb out of Stewart was not bad like I thought it was going to be based on the drive down.

I turned south at the intersection back onto the Cassiar.

When we reached the end of the Cassiar, I turn east and headed onto the Yellowhead Highway.

About 7 miles before Smithers, we stopped at Adams Igloo Wildlife Museum, but when we approached the door it was locked and the grounds did not look like the advertisements, so we got back in to the RV and continued.

We stopped in Smithers for gas and a quick trip into the grocery store.

I then wanted to find the RV wash that we say for advertisements, but when we found it, it was a self wash and I didn’t want to do it, so we looked for another place for lunch, I found a turn out and we had lunch.

This section of the road had some big climbs – at a few points I was down to 25 mph climbing the hills. I was sure watching the tranny temp.

We stopped in Houston to look at the World’s Largest Fly Fishing Rod. Also in the same area, there was a dog park, so the dogs got a good chance to run and play.

We are stopped in Vanderhoof at Dave’s RV Park for the nice place. I did setup the satellite because the park charges for Internet.

Amanda cooked dinner tonight, It started to rain on us during dinner.

The kids watched two different movies – Quest for Camelot, Thief and the Cobbler. We also watched the DVD about Fish Creek and Salmon Glacier

The kids also worked on schoolwork.

Camp Location:
N 53 59.792, W 123 58.663 – Dave’s RV Park, Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada

Big Animal Report:
1 – Deer

Attractions:
Adams Igloo Wildlife Museum – NOT
World’s Largest Fly Fishing Rod

2007/07/12 – Thursday – Back in Alaska

We left camp about 8:45

I pulled out and the tire alarm came on again, so I pulled over again and filled the tire to match the other tire.

We were stopped in three different construction zones.

The roads were rough in places and a few places that have gravel.

About ½ hour before our lunch stop the road turned really good compared what I have been driving for the last two days.

Lunch was at a roadside turnout called Bob Quinn Lake Airport.

Our next stop was at Bell 2 for some gas.

When we got to the intersection, the road going straight was the road to Stewart, Canada, and Hyder Alaska, so off we went.

We crossed into Hyder with out any fan fair – no customs, or boarder crossing station. (But we will have to go through one to get back into Canada)

We found the RV camp and made camp. I also setup the satellite.

I unload the van, and we headed on up the road to go see the Salmon Glacier. The road was ruff with lots of potholes. We went as far as we could, the road has not been cleared of all the snow near the top.

On the way back we stopped at the Fish Creek Viewing, but no bears yet, the salmon have not started their spawning.

We returned back to town and finally found a place to eat, but after driving all the way down a planked pier and back.

After dinner, we did some souvenir shopping. We also stopped at the local dump to see if we could find some bears. We found two big bears and two baby bears.

We watched Narnia

Camp Location:
N 55 55.233, W 130 01.918 Camp Run-A-Muck – Hyder Alaska

Big Animal Report:
4 – Black Bear

Attractions:
Bear Glacier
Fish Creek Viewing
Salmon Glacier

2007/07/11 – Wednesday – Rocks and Mud

We left Whitehorse at 8:50.

About ½ hour into the drive, one of the tires said it was low, so I stopped to fix it. I took the valve extension off and that seamed to resolve the tire getting lower on pressure; but I sure kept a very close eye on the sensor for quite awhile.

I did not stop again until Junction 37 for lunch and gas at 1:00 so a solid 4 hours of driving. I had used ¾ of tank of gas on that part of the trip.

We are now heading down the Cassiar Highway. The first part of this road is really rough so it was slow going. We stop at a place called Jade City (consisting of two buildings one on each side of the road, one of them being closed this season)

Of course we did spend some money on some jade items.

The next part of the road turned into a mud bath. The back of the RV and all of the van was covered in mud!

I stopped at a campground but it had no good view to the south for the satellite, so back onto the road.

I stopped at Dease Lake for gas; I tried to clean the back window, but not very well.

As we were heading out of town, I found a RV park with hookups, so I quickly stopped and paid for a site. On the way to the site, I noticed that they had a high power washer wand, so I cleaned the RV and van. So now the RV looks white and the van looks smoke gray instead of medium brown.

I was able to set up the satellite.

Amanda cooked dinner tonight, but she started the Cocktail Smokies in barbeque sauce in the crock-pot at our lunch spot.

We watched two movies tonight – Legally Blond 2 and Good Boy

Camp Location:
N 58 26.011, W 129 59.025 – Dease Lake RV Park, Dease Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Big Animal Report:
1-Drenched Fox
1-Mooses that crossed in front of a motorcycle

Attractions:
Jade City - Shop

2007/07/10 – Tuesday – Dirty and Shopping

We left a little late today – about 9:15. I was going to get gas in White River but the office was not open yet.

The road from White River to Destruction Bay was rough and a lot of sections that where gravel and a little mud.

We did have two construction points where we had to wait for the pilot truck.

I stopped at Burwash Landing for Gas

We had lunch at a pull out; the stop was at a creek called Jarvis Creek. We tossed the ball for the dogs to get them some exercise.

As we were approaching Whitehorse, I stopped for gas. Then we went into Whitehorse to get groceries and stuff.

By the time we finished all the shopping, it was almost 5:00 so time to find a campground.

We are stopped at Pioneer RV Park just south of Whitehorse. Cheryl tired the internet at the campsite but it was going slow, so I sit up the satellite.

Nobody wanted to cook dinner, so Amanda begged be to unload the van and go out for dinner.

So I unloaded the van and we headed back into Whitehorse to find dinner. We ate at a small café, then we headed back to the RV.

When we got back, Turquoise had way to much fun chewing on things. One of the items he chewed on was a stuffed tow that had the small little white pellets that got EVERYWHERE! Eric and Cheryl cleaned up the mess.

Mom did her laundry and two loads of ours.

Camp Location:
N 60 38.950, W 135 01.082 – Pioneer RV Park, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Big Animal Report:
1 – Mule Deer

Attractions:
Wal-Mart
Craft Store
Canadian Super Mart (groceries)
Dinner out

2007/07/09 – Monday – Into Canada

We left Valdez at 9:00 with our first stop at a gas station before heading out.

We got gas a little gas stop at Gakona Junction

We stopped for lunch in one of the pullouts along the way.

I got gas at Tok,

We stopped at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and Amanda got a stamp for her Refuge book.

We went through the boarder without any issues, the lady asked a few questions and let us through.

I pulled into Beaver Creek and asked about the RV park and the lady said go to the RV park about 30 miles away, right after crossing the White River.

The roads from Tok to the campground are really bad. On the US side, the roads have a lot of frost heaves, while in Canada there are a lot of gravel surfaces, so that means a lot of rocks flying and dust – the RV is filthy.

Finally we arrived at the White River Crossing RV Park.

It took awhile for me to set up the satellite but finally I got it working. The next camper next to me asked a few questions about the setup. He asked about getting on, so I set the wifi to open so they could use the Internet. A little bit later another person noticed and asked so a few people are using it.

Amanda and Cheryl cooked dinner.

Mom and I started the laundry – we had to do 4 loads. Mom stayed to do the rest of the loads, while I came back and played on the computers.

The kids watched two movies tonight.

Camp Location:
N 61 59.057, W 140 32.246 – White River Crossing RV Park, Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada

Big Animal Report:
3 Swans

Attractions:
Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

2007/07/08 – Sunday – Boat Ride

We got up and ready for our trip at 9:00. We bought our trip from the RV park headquarters.

We walked over to the boat and got on, we left at 10:00 for our 9 to 10 hour tour.

The captain was very informative and gave us a lot of information. We saw a lot of animals and some small pieces of ice from a glacier calving.

When we got back to the RV, I had to do some minor cleaning up after the dogs, and off to dinner we went. We also walked around the town after dinner with the dogs.

Camp Location:
Same as yesterday - N 61 07.647, W 146 21.016 – Bear Paw RV Park – Valdez, Alaska

Big Animal Report:
Birds of Prince Williams Sound:
Marbled Murrelet
Horned Puffin
Bald Eagles
Tufted Puffin
Mammals of Prince Williams Sound:
Steller Sea Lion
Humpback Whale
Sea Otter
Dall’s Porpoise
Harbor Seal

Attractions:
Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises - Prince Williams Sound – Columbia and Meares Glacier Excursion

2007/07/07 – Saturday – Ferry Ride

We left camp at 10:00.

We only had to wait about 20 minutes to go through the Whittier Tunnel. While driving through the tunnel the speed limit is 25 mph. Also you are driving on the train tracks, but it is smooth.

Once we got to Whittier, we checked in at the ferry terminal and paid the expensive bill!

We walked the little water front part of town and ate lunch.

We pulled the RV into the staging area ready for the ferry.

When it was our time to load we were the last one to load.

The ferry to 6 hours to get into Valdez, again we were the last one to unload – the deck hands had to almost jack knife the RV so I could get off the ship properly.

We found the campground really easily.

We walked the town a little bit before watching some TV for the evening.

Camp Location:
N 61 07.647, W 146 21.016 – Bear Paw RV Park – Valdez, Alaska

Big Animal Report:
Sea Lions

Attractions:
Whittier Tunnel – Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel
Ferry Boat

2007/07/06 – Friday – Full RV Parks

We left camp at 9:00.

We drove the 15 miles into Denali; near the end we watched a small group caribou running in a creek. We stopped on the way out at the visitor center.

We stopped for gas and lunch at Cantwell

We looked up a park in Anchorage. We followed the direction and found the place, but when I checked they could not accommodate us and making a few phone calls, nobody in Anchorage could accommodate us, so off to find somewhere else.

I made a decision to change our route and not stay two nights in Anchorage. So we did some research and phone calls to find out if a ferry goes from Whittier to Valdez. I made a reservation for the ferry ride.

I also phoned a RV park near Portage to find out, but just an answering machine answered.

I drove toward Whittier hoping we could find an RV park on the way. We pulled into Portage Valley RV Park; come to find out it was the same placed I called. We are dry camped, because they have everything else taken/reserved.

I tried to setup the satellite, but the mountain is in the way.

We watched Nanny McPhee – What a neat movie

Camp Location:
N 60 48.175, W 148 56.000 – Portage Valley RV Park - Portage Alaska

Big Animal Report:
4 - Caribou

Attractions:
Denali Visitor Center

2007/07/05 – Thursday – Fun Ride

We slept in today. We said our good byes and left about 10:00.

We did stop at Petco and exchanged one item that we got and Cheryl went into Barns & Noble.

We stopped for gas and headed on down the road.

We stopped at Rainbow Village, I checked on a RV space, but none was available, the gal phone two other RV location and we found a place, back about 6 miles back to the north, so I went back the way we came and we got one night stay.

I unloaded the van and we headed back down to Rainbow Village to get a late lunch early dinner and some shopping.

We headed on over to the helicopter location and waited for our time depart.

What a neat flight, we all had a blast riding in the RV landing and walking on the glacier. It was raining while we were walking around, but we all had a good time.

When we got back, I loaded the van and then worked on getting my magnet mount lights to work on the van bumpers.

I also found one of the value stem extension about ready to have leak, so I changed that.

Camp Location:
N 63 49.263, W 148 59.228 – Denali RV Park – (North of Denali Park Entrance) - Alaska

Big Animal Report:
1 – Moose from Helicopter
A lot of Sheep from the Helicopter

Attractions:
Helicopter ride
Walking on a Glacier

2007/07/04 – Wednesday – LONG Ride - Arctic Circle

We got up at 4:45 and started to get ready, we left and got to the excursion place at 5:45, after dropping the dogs at our friends’ work place.

We started about 15 minutes early on our ride to the Arctic Circle.

Our first stop was at Joy. Next stop was at the Yukon River crossing for Lunch

We stopped along the pipeline and we took some picture by it.

We stopped at a location called Thumbs Up and explored around the rocks.

We then finally made it to the Arctic Circle. We all took pictures. The guide (Mary) put down a rug to mark the line for the Arctic Circle and we all walked across it. Mary even gave all of us some cake and whipped cream (she called it something like muck and frost)

On the way back, from the Circle Mary found a place so she could show us the Tundra and the Perma Frost.

When we were about ready to get dinner, a car that passed us broke one of the back windows in the bus. Mary got a piece of cardboard and covered the window and I helped her tape the outside up.

We then ate dinner at the same location as lunch at the Yukon River crossing.

We then again stopped at Joy for another break

At different times Mary would show a video of different aspects of Alaska, Pipeline, and road building.

At the end of the trip we all got a certificate that we crossed the Arctic Circle.

We picked up the dogs and got back to the RV at 11:30

Camp Location:
Same as yesterday - N 64 53.500, W 147 27.500 – R&P place near Fairbanks Alaska

Big Animal Report:
1 - Moose

Attractions:
Arctic Circle

2007/07/03 – Tuesday- Around Town

O I could have killed the dogs – more like Turquoise this morning, he woke me up at 4:30 in the morning, I think he saw daylight so he thought it was time to get up.

We did sleep in a little bit before doing things around town.

The first thing when we went into town was to go find the location where we need to be for the excursion tomorrow.

We then dropped the dogs off at our friends’ work place and we headed out to our first attraction.

We finally found the Pioneer Park; First thing we did was to find the square dance hall, well we will miss the square dance opportunity because we all ready have plans for dinner tonight. After walking around we went into the air museum and walked around that. Next was the train museum, but we missed the opportunity to ride the train around the compound. We finished the park by walking around all the little businesses.

We ate lunch at small family style restaurant.

We found the Museum of the North. What a neat museum, it had a great audio that you could rent and read all the information. But the biggest problem today was that they had the place VERY cold! So we rushed to on getting out of there.

We went shopping at Petco, Home Depot, and Fred Myers

We got the dogs and headed back to R&P so we could get ready for dinner.

They took us to Two Rivers. Nice place. I think the place has about three different menus depending on what area of the builder you are setting at – bar area, out side, and then main area. The food was good and I am glad we went; also it allowed more time enjoying R&P company.

Returning to the house R & I worked on the trailer cutting the wood that I got to fix the wood on the trailer that the tire was breaking.

We got to sleep about midnight even though we need to get up about 4:45.

Camp Location:
Same as yesterday - N 64 53.500, W 147 27.500 – R&P place near Fairbanks Alaska

Big Animal Report:
None

Attractions:
Pioneer Park
Air Museum (in Pioneer Park)
University of Alaska Museum of the North

2007/07/02 – Monday - Santa House and Fine Dinning

We left camp at 9:00.

Our first stop was back down the road at the “End of the Alaska Highway” to take some pictures at the Delta Junction Visitor Center.

We made it to North Pole Alaska. We stopped at the visitor center and then went to the Santa Claus House to do some shopping. A note on the Santa chair stated that he takes a break on Mondays and Tuesdays – so no Santa today. Of course we spent too much money but we did get some cool stuff.

I made a phone call to our friend R&P E, after getting lost, R guided us to where he works, after some talking, we then followed R to his house so I could set up the RV and unload the van.

I made some phone calls and I have booked us the Artic Circle excursion – The first trip I tried to book was a plane flight and drive back, but none was available, so we are taking the ride up and back – ~18 hour trip on a bus. The trip starts at 6:30AM

R&P took out for dinner at the Pump House – wow fancy place or should I say expensive, because we sure did not dress fancy. The place has good food, we had a good time and I have to really thank R&P for treating us to dinner!!!

It has been warm here, we slept with all the windows open, and it was 81 degrees at 11:00 PM with the sun still being up.

The sunsets at 1:35 AM and rises at 4:12 AM

Camp Location:
N 64 53.500, W 147 27.500 – R&P place near Fairbanks Alaska

Big Animal Report:
1 - Moose

Attractions:
Delta Junction Visitor Center
North Pole Visitor Center
Santa House
Pump House

2007/07/01 – Sunday - Rough

We left camp at 9:00

Today was nothing but driving – Slow and then fast then slow then fast.

The road was rough; we had to slow down in a lot of places! A few of the “heaves” made us almost jump out of our seats!

We had lunch at a location called “Dry Creek 2”

We got gas at Beaver Creek

We crossed into Alaska – We finally made it!

We did not stop in Delta Junction and we pressed on to Delta Junction. We got gas and propane in Delta Junction

We are stopped for the night in Delta Junction at Smith Green Acres RV Park

When I walked around the trailer I noticed that the driver rear tire of the Van has cracked trough the wood on the trailer – So now I will need to get that fixed in Fairbanks.

Mom and I will be doing the laundry tonight.

The kids for some reason cannot get online for school – so Cheryl will make a call tomorrow to find out what is happening with the account.

We also watched a movie tonight – Mr & Mrs Smith

Also during the day, both driver side trailer tires would not respond correctly; I am glad I did not change the tire – I guess I will wait until Oregon to have the dealer fix the issue.

Camp Location:
N 64 03.943, W 145 44.497 – Delta Junction, Alaska – Smith Green Acers RV Park.

Big Animal Report:
Bunny rabbet

Attractions:
None
Frost Heaves ride in the RV